I've never heard it, but I'm not surprised. The mothering instinct is a strong one. It's odd that it developed a "thing" for kidnapping babies from just the one species though. Maybe the Oryx is the only species at hand that is easily acquired? Human children are sometimes kidnapped by animals, as well. Strange but true. Always thought it was a myth until just recently.
Interesting the disparity between the two articles. I almost wondered if we were dealing with the same lion for minute or two. The first doesn't even mention any calves being taken away by rangers.
Over the next year, Kamunyak adopts 5 more oryx calves, but none last as long as the first. One dies of starvation, some escape, the last she abandons after just a few hours and it’s found by its mother.
As compared to:
Nine game wardens surrounded and tranquillized the frail oryx calf as it dozed fitfully in the shade of an acacia tree. Kamuniak - or The Blessed One - as the lioness has been christened by local people, had left the oryx and went hunting.
The second story seems to be just a blurb about the second incident. But, it's interesting that the first doesn't mention this rescue. The first seems rather more emotional, as well. The horrible, tragic scene of the calf being torn apart by another lion. It's a pity that a more competent researcher could have stayed on the job. Follow the lion and see whether she continued her kidnapping spree in another, less-peopled, locale. Would have been interesting to examine her brain after she eventually dies. Determine if it's neurological or psychological or possibly not even that deviant of a behavior...
I wonder about the lion. Was she, as they suggested, from a pride that splintered. Or was she driven from a pride for irrational behavior. She was not only starving the calf, but she was starving herself, too.
We have learned much about our brains by studying brain-damage and psychosis. Maybe the way to learn more about animal psychology is in studying insane animals. I suppose that most lab animals probably count as insane. But it's not a natural insanity. They've been driven insane by their captivity and torments.
Problem with attempting to study insane animals, I suppose. Is that they don't often live long in the wild. Would have to devise some sort of animal sanitarium to maintain long studies. And of course that would shift the results, unless buku bucks were spent on the facilities. Make the animal think it is in the wild. Including occasional "perceived" dangers. Don't want them getting soft.
